Method and apparatus for washing locomotive boilers



Feb. 9 1926. 1,571,928

W. J. BOHAN METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR WASHING LOCOMQTIVE BOILERS Filed July 13 9 2 Sheets-sheet l ILL/HM J. 50mm.

Feb.- 9 1926. 1,571,928

w. J. BOHAN muon AND APPARATUS FOR same nocououvn BOILERS Filed July 13. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l0 l3 a 13 f l v 9 u l7 l9 c1 Q I G/ I "7; '35 (E 8 x 1,: I; x1

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Patented Feb. 9, 1926.

WILLIAM J. B OI-IAN, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR "WASHING LOCOMOTIVE BOILERS.

Application filed July 13, 1922.

To all whom it may be concern: I

Be it known that 1, 'WILLIAM J. BOHAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods and Apparatus for Washing Locomotive Boilers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for cleaning a boiler and is particularly designed for cleaning locomotive boilers. It is necessary to wash out steam boilers frequently and it is the present practice to clean locomotive boilers at regular intervals. In sections of the country where the water is stron ly alkaline or where the water carries many salts in solution, it is necessary to so wash out locomotive boilers quite frequently. The railroads operating in such territor 7 have boiler cleaning equipment and expense amounting to thousands of dollars. In accordance with. the present practice, the locomotive is run into the round house and it is necessary to pull the fire, blow down the boiler and then wash out the boiler with water, an ordinary washout pump usually being used. This operation requires two men and usually takes approximately two hours time. The boiler is usually cleaned with cold water and the same is thus completely cooled by the washing operation and even if warmer water were used, it would be necessary to greatly cool the boiler in order to work on the same.

It is an object of this invention to pro vide a method and apparatus by which the boiler can be'cleaned without cooling. the boiler and without blowing down the same.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a method and apparatus for cleaning the boiler using mechanical devices and also utilizing the hot water in the boiler for the cleaning operation.

It is a further object of the invention to provide such a method and apparatus in which the water of the boiler is circulated through a receptacle having sludge intercepting and collecting means therein.

It is more specifically an object of the invention to provide a sludge intercepting and receiving receptacle through which water is circulated from and through the thereof and intermediate of the same.

Serial No. 574,799.

boiler by a high power pump, a connection also belng provided to supply additional water to the boiler.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to the same parts throughout "the different views, and in which Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation illustrating more or less diagrammatically a locomotive having the apparatus of the present invention applied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a view in end elevation of the locomotive and the device of this invention; and

Fig. 3 is a view of a connection used.

Referring to the drawings, a locomotive 1S represented, of which it will be only necessary to note the boiler a having the lower rear portion 7) provided with the usual In accordance withthe present invention, a receptacle 1 is provided illustrated as an elongated cylindrical tank having an inlet opening 2 and an outlet opening 3* disposed adjacent the respective ends thereof. The

inlet opening 2 is connected to a suitablev a pump 7 which will be capable of producing a very high pressure and which is shown as a centrifugal pump. A shut-off valve- 8 of any well known type is disposed in the connection between the outlet 3 and the pump. The outlet of the pump is connected by a pipe or other suitable conduit 9. to a header member 10 shown as an elongated cylinder, a valve 11 being interposed in the pipe 9. The header member 10 has connected thereto at each end, pipes or conduits 12 which lead to and are connected .to .the boiler at separated points adjacent the front and rear The boiler is provided with suitable connections fire to avoid all danger oi burning parts of for receiving the conduits 12 and valves 13 are provided adjacent these connections for facilitating the connection of the conduits 12, check valves 13 also being provided in said conduits. The header member is supported .in any suitable manner adjacent to the boiler a and, in the embodiment of the invention illustrated, is shown as sup ported by member l-l which is connected by a member 15 to a root member 16. The connections between the members 12 and the header it) and the member I) and the receptacle l and outlets and 0 may be made by any suitable form of joint but are preferably made by using the well known flexible type of joint.

The pump 7 arranged to be connected with an additional water supply and is tor this purpose shown as having an auxiliary outlet conduit 17 connected thereto provided with a valve 18 and the same is also provided with an auxiliary inlet conduit 15) provided with a alve 20. A suitable motor 21 is illustrated directly connected to pump 7 for driving the same.

With the above described apparatus the method oil cleaning the boiler is as follows The apparatus is preferably located adjacent the tracks in the round house or other building into which the locmnotiw is run. the receptacle 1 preferably being disposed over a pit 22. The locomotive being brought to position the connections are made thereto through the members 8 and 12 the valves 18 and being closed. The water line in the boiler is illustrated as [UHF] in Fig. 1 and the connection through the members 12 will be ordinarily though not necessarily below this line. The connections being made as shown and described, and while the steam pressure is still maintained in the boiler, the pump 7 is started and a circulation oi water is produced through the outlet oi the pump, the header 10 and conduits 12, through the boiler and out through the outlets e. c and c and through the receptacle 1. The water is pumped in at high pressure and thehot water of the boiler is thus forcibly circulated through the same. The sludge and sediment will be loosened and washed out and as the water passes through the receptacle 1, this sludge and sediment will be intercepted by the bullies at and collected into the basin 5 from which itmay be drawn ofi through pipe {3. The operation will be continued until the boiler is thoroughly washed and cleaned. The boiler will thus be cleaned without cooling the same, although the steam pressure will gradually drop, and a great deal of deterioration which takes place by the shrinkage and contraction of the parts in cooling, will be avoided. The cleaning operation may be performed without drawing the fire, although it- .is usually preferable to draw the the boiler which might be covered with little or no water. The connections can be quickly made to the boiler and the cleaningoperation requires only about a halt hours time and can. be easily carried out by one man. In fact, one man can at the same time attend to the washing of several boilers, as the cleaning, after being once started, is entirely auto matic. The apparatus is comparatively simple and can be made at small expense. At the end oi the cleaning operation, additional hot water will be furnished to the boiler from a, hot water supply to which the pipe 19 will be conneted, the valve 20 being open for this purpose and the pipe 17, of course, connected to the boiler. Before this is done, the old water will have been. drained through pipe 6. The pump '7 may, ii desired, also be used for emptying the boiler and for this purpose the valves 11 and 20 would be closed and the valves 8 and 1S opened. Clean hot water can thus be supplied to the boiler it desired without cooling the boiler, this being done merely by manipulation of the necessary valves. If desired, additional water can thus be supplied containing certain chemicals adapted to assist in the cleaning operation.

A directing nozzle, shown as 2?} in Fig. 2), may be used to direct the inlet water into the corners and places in the boiler where the sediment tends to collect. Such nozzles will be comiected to the conduits 12 and to the boiler, as shown in Fig.

From the above description, it is seen that applicant has provided an extremely ellicient method and apparatus for circulating and easily washing the boiler by its own water without any deteriorating etl'ect or damage to the same. It will, of course, be understood that various changes may be made in the form, details and arrangement of the appa rat us and in the steps oi the method without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists in the matter shown and described and set torth in the appended claims.

Vi hat is claimed is:

1. The method of washing out and refilling a locomotive boiler while under its own steam and without blowing down the same, which. consists in connecting a conduit adjacent the bottom portion thereof, connecting conduits at spaced points well above the bottom thereo'l, providing a sludge collecting means drawing the water from the boiler through said first mentioned conduit and sludge collecting means and then forcing said water at high pressure through said last mentioned conduits into the boiler to set up a violent circulation therein to stir up and loosen any sediment, and continuing said operation whereby said sediment will be loosened and carried from said boiler and largely collected in said sludge collecting means, and then drawing off said water. and supplying said boiler with clean hot water.

2. The method of washing out a locomotive boiler while under its own steam and without blowing down the same, which consists in connecting a conduit adjacent the bottom portion thereof, connecting conduits at spaced points well above the bottom thereoi'f, drawing the water from the boiler through said first mentioned conduit and through a sludge collecting means of much greater cross sectional area than said conduit and then forcing said water at high pressure through said last mentioned con- (luits into the boiler to set up a violent circulation therein to stir up and loosen any sediment, and continuing said operation whereby said sediment will be removed from said boiler and largely collected in said sludge-collecting means. 1

3. The method of washing out and refilling a locomotive boiler while under its own steam and without blowing down the same, which consists in connecting aplurality of conduits adjacent the bottom portion thereof, connecting conduits at spaced points well above the bottom thereof, drawing the water from the boiler through said first mentioned conduits and then forcing said water at high pressure through said last mentioned conduits and directing said water against the sediment in said boiler to stir up and loosen said sediment and to produce a violent circulation in said boiler and continuing the operation until substantially all said sedi ment is loosened and in suspension in said circulating water, and then drawing ofi? said water and replacing the same in said boiler with hot clean water.

4. An apparatus for washing out a locomotive boiler while under its own steam and without blowing down said boiler, comprising a high pressure pump, conduits connected to the outlet side of said pump and adapted to be de tachably connected to spaced points adjacent the water line of said boiler, a conduit adapted to be detachably connected to said boiler adjacent the bottom thereof, a sludge-collecting means of much greater cross section than said last mentioned conduit to which it is connected, and a conduit connecting said sludge collecting means to the inlet side of said pump.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM J BOHAN. 

